The Cancer Blog

February 8, 2010, 7:43 AM CT

A potent suppressor of endometrial cancer

Endometrial cancer is the most common cancer of the female reproductive tract, representing 6% of all cancers. There is currently no screening method or biomarker to indicate early presence of disease. "It is a very common malignancy that affects women of all ages" comments paper author Dr. Diego Castrillon. The cancer forms from the cells that grow along the inner lining of the uterus, which is called the endometrium, and commonly it is diagnosed following patient reports of abnormal bleeding.

The normal endometrium is a dynamic place, providing a thick, highly vascularized environment ready to generate a placenta if it is implanted with an embryo. The dynamic and cyclic activity of the endometrium makes it very sensitive to signaling molecules. Early changes in many signaling proteins are known to contribute to endometrial cancer in some patients. A major research goal is to understand how signals create cancer cells and to identify places where intervention might shut down the signals that promote cancer cell survival and growth.

Scientists learn about cancer by creating genetic changes to signaling proteins in mice that reflect changes found in human cancer patients. Animal models are produced in this way to help understand how cancer cells form and progress. One challenge is to localize genetic changes to the environment of interest. In the case of endometrial cancer, scientists need to specifically modify only those cells that are in the endometrium, so that their data is not complicated by changes in other tissues......... Posted by: Andria      Read more         Source

February 3, 2010, 8:21 AM CT

Cancer patients become bold advocates

Sociologists at Case Western Reserve University observed that when passive cancer patients become survivors, they have plenty of bold advice to offer other cancer patients, as per a research studyin JAGS, the Journal of American Geriatric Society

Eva Kahana, Robson Professor of Sociology and director of the Elderly Care Research Center at Case Western Reserve, reported the findings from interviews with 100 cancer survivors. These survivors are part of a longitudinal study of 1,107 older adults living in a retirement community.

This study calls attention to generally accepting, timid behaviors that elderly patients report about their interactions with the healthcare system while battling cancer. Nevertheless the very same elderly adults offer advice to other older cancer patients to take a more activist stand and become advocates in their care.

This finding of the study overturns the notion that elderly patients are disinterested and disempowered health consumers, Kahana said.

For nearly 20 years, the longitudinal study's research team gathered information from this Florida retirement community to find out what older people do to age successfully and weather chronic illnesses and the frailties in their later years.

In the study's 17th year, cancer survivors were given an in-depth interview with open- and close-ended questions about their cancer experience. The participants were of an average age of 79, married (62%) and were mostly women (62%). The predominant cancers were breast and prostate......... Posted by: Andria      Read more         Source

February 3, 2010, 7:34 AM CT

Cancer studies with yeast

A researcher at Charles Drew University of Medicine and Science is investigating the potential use of non-pathogenic baker's yeast as a promising, natural treatment for cancer.

Dr. Mamdooh Ghoneum presented his findings Tuesday, Feb. 2 at a special conference on "Cell Death Mechanism," sponsored by the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) at the Omni San Diego Hotel in San Diego.

"The central focus of the meeting is cell death regulation and how to mine and exploit it for therapeutic gain," a written assessment of the AACR special conference states. "This conference includes new complexities of cell death and cell survival, new technologies, and clinical translational aspects necessary for the evolution of new therapeutic strategies".

For more than two decades, Dr. Ghoneum has pursued a theory that cancer cells self destruct when exposed to small quantities of yeast.

In laboratory tests, Dr. Ghoneum exposed cancer cells to yeast and observed as they ingested the yeastthrough a process known as phagocytosisand then the cancer cells died. First, he investigated this phenomenon in test tubes (in vitro), introducing yeast to breast, tongue, colon, and skin cancers.

"I have no doubt that I am close to unlocking the mystery as to why cancer cells weaken to the point of destruction after eating common baker's yeast," Dr. Ghoneum said. "The cells just gravitate to the yeast. I call it fatal attraction"......... Posted by: Andria      Read more         Source

January 27, 2010, 8:22 AM CT

Overcoming taxane resistance in cancer

Taxanes, a group of cancer drugs that includes paclitaxel (Taxol) and docetaxel (Taxotere), have become front-line treatment for a variety of metastatic cancers. But as with a number of chemotherapy agents, resistance can develop, a frequent problem in breast, ovarian, prostate and other cancers. Now, cancer scientists at Children's Hospital Boston report a protein previously unknown to be involved in taxane resistance and that could potentially be targeted with drugs, making a cancer more susceptible to chemotherapy.

The scientists think that this protein, prohibitin1, could also serve as a biomarker, allowing doctors to predict a patient's response to chemotherapy with a simple blood test. The study was published online by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in its online early edition during the week of January 25.

The study, led by Bruce Zetter, PhD, of Children's Vascular Biology Program, used proteomics techniques to compare the proteins present in Taxol-susceptible versus Taxol-resistant human tumor cell lines. The scientists observed that the resistant cell lines, but not the susceptible cell lines, had prohibitin1 on their surface. When they suppressed prohibitin1 with RNA interference techniques, the tumor cells became more susceptible to Taxol, both in cell culture and in live mice with implanted Taxol-resistant tumors......... Posted by: Andria      Read more         Source

January 18, 2010, 8:17 AM CT

Palliative care in health-care reform

New Rochelle, NY, January 15, 2010Opinion leaders in the field of palliative medicine explored the unparalleled opportunities that now exist for the palliative care community, which matches therapy to the desires of informed patients and their families, to help define evolving health care reform policy. The thought-provoking Roundtable discussion, "Palliative Medicine: Politics and Policy," is published online ahead of print in Journal of Palliative Medicine, a peer-evaluated publication from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. (www.liebertpub.com). The Roundtable is available free online at www.liebertpub.com/jpm.

The moderator, Diane E. Meier, MD, from the Center to Advance Palliative Care at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, in New York City, led a lively discussion focusing on the need to change public perception of palliative care and to educate the public and policymakers on how palliative medicine can contribute to improved quality and greater cost-effectiveness of health care, two of the cornerstones of current health care reform efforts. In October 2009, Dr. Meier began a health policy fellowship in Washington, D.C., with the goal of learning how process and politics influence health policy.

Participants in the Roundtable included David J. Casarett, MD, from the Philadelphia Veterans Administration Medical Center and the University of Pennsylvania, Charles F. von Gunten, MD, PhD, Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Palliative Medicine, and Provost, Institute for Palliative Medicine at San Diego Hospice (California), Walter J. Smith, SJ, PhD, from HealthCare Chaplaincy (New York City), and C. Porter Storey Jr., MD, from the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (Glenview, IL) and Colorado Permanente Medical Group (Denver)......... Posted by: Andria      Read more         Source

January 14, 2010, 5:26 PM CT

Frequency of surveillance colonoscopy

How often patients receive surveillance colonoscopy may need to be better aligned with their risks for colorectal cancer, as per two papers published this month by University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine researchers. The studies provide evidence that colonoscopy is both overused and underused in particular patient populations with serious implications for health care spending.

As per Robert E. Schoen, M.D., M.P.H., professor of medicine and epidemiology at the University of Pittsburgh and senior author of both papers, surveillance colonoscopy is performed to monitor patients who have had premalignant polyps, called adenomas, found on a prior colonoscopy. The aim of surveillance is to identify and remove recurrent growths before they advance to cancer.

"Guidelines recommend that patients who have had pre-malignant lesions, particularly advanced premalignant lesions, get follow-up colonoscopy earlier and more often than patients who do not have polyps," said Dr. Schoen. "Yet our studies show surveillance colonoscopy is not being used by the medical system in relation to underlying risk".

The first study, reported in the January edition of the journal Gastroenterology, demonstrates a substantial overuse of surveillance colonoscopy among low-risk patients and under-use among high risk patients. The study followed 3,600 patients from the National Cancer Institute (NCI)-sponsored Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian (PLCO) cancer screening trial. Among 1,026 patients with no premalignant lesions at their initial examination, 58 percent underwent a follow-up exam an average of every 3.9 years, eventhough the recommendation would be to do so every five or 10 years. Detailed review of the records could not identify medical reasons for the premature testing. After five years, only 58.4 percent of patients with advanced premalignant lesions received surveillance colonoscopy despite the recommendation that they do so every three years......... Posted by: Andria      Read more         Source

January 14, 2010, 8:18 AM CT

New biomarkers for colon cancer

Researchers in China are reporting discovery of two proteins present in the blood, of people with colon cancer that may serve as the potential biomarkers for accurately predicting whether the disease will spread. Their study is in ACS' Journal of Proteome Research, a monthly publication.

Maode Lai and his colleagues note that in 2008, 150,000 new cases of colon cancer and over 50,000 deaths from the disease occurred in the United States alone. Surgery is the main method of treating the disease. However, half of patients with colon cancer undergoing surgery develop a recurrence of the disease within 5 years due to its spread, or metastasis, to other parts of the body. The spread of colon cancer can be difficult to detect and there are currently no reliable chemical markers in the body for predicting its spread, the researchers say.

In an effort to identify useful biomarkers for tracking the spread of colon cancer, the researchers compared proteins produced by primary, or original, tumor cells to those of metastasized cells came from a single individual with colon cancer. They identified two proteins that occurred at significantly higher levels in the metastatic cells than in the primary cancer cells. The two proteins could serve as potential biomarkers in a blood test for predicting the spread of colon cancer, allowing earlier intervention and therapy, the researchers say......... Posted by: Andria      Read more         Source

January 12, 2010, 8:45 AM CT

Therapy in oesophageal cancer

Cancer of the gullet, or oesophagus, is one of the ten most common cancers in the Western world, and there have been recent alarming increases in the number of cases each year in the US and UK. There is no good therapy, and sufferers frequently face a short, painful battle which ends all too quickly in death. A number of of the cancers diagnosed are in people with a long history of heartburn. Chronic heartburn leads to the lower parts of the gullet being bathed in a toxic acid solution, and the lining of the gullet defends itself against this by changing itself into something which looks a lot like the lining of the lower intestines. Eventhough the damaged tissue, called Barrett's oesophagus, is not malignant in itself, its presence warns doctors that the patient has taken the first step towards cancer, and triggers a rigorous programme of monitoring, coupled with treatment to prevent further damage.

Patients with Barrett's oesophagus can be stabilised, and most do not go on to develop cancer, but once it is there, the mutated tissue is almost impossible to eradicate, so the risk always remains. Scientists have long been searching for new drugs able to revert Barrett's oesophagus to the healthy, normal lining of the gullet, and now, a team led by Hans Clevers of the Hubrecht Institute, Utrecht, may have a candidate. Clevers' team, whose research into colon cancer is world-renowned, reasoned that as Barrett's oesophagus cells are very similar to the cells which line the colon, they might share vital control pathways. This turns out to be true. Clevers and his team then put this together with the fact that the anti-Alzheimer's drug DBZ, currently in clinical trials, is known to have side effects on the lower gut lining. They used a rat model of oesophageal cancer to observe the effects of DBZ on Barrett's oesophagus tissue, and observed that DBZ could halt the growth of Barrett's oesophagus, and in some cases completely destroyed the mutant tissue. Whilst the therapy is still a long way from being trialled in humans, it is an exciting step forward in the fight for a cure for oesophageal cancer......... Posted by: Andria      Read more         Source

January 5, 2010, 8:43 AM CT

Celebrex prevents skin cancer

People with the heritable disorder of the skin called Gorlin syndrome who are genetically predisposed to develop basal cell carcinoma of the skin may have a new chemoprevention treatment on the horizon.

As per results of a placebo-controlled, randomized, double-blind, Phase II study, the use of celecoxib was effective in inhibiting the development of basal cell carcinomas in a relatively rare group of patients who are highly susceptible to carcinoma. These findings appear in the recent issue of Cancer Prevention Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

Celecoxib, sold under the brand name of Celebrex by Pfizer Inc., is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID). Patients with Gorlin syndrome typically develop hundreds or even thousands of basal cell carcinomas in their lifetime.

Ervin H. Epstein Jr., M.D., senior scientist at the Children's Hospital of Oakland Research Institute, Oakland, Calif., said the goal of this study was to reduce the number of basal cell carcinomas in patients with this rare disorder who are most at risk for this form of cancer.

"The underlying idea is if we can find something in these high-risk patients that could be translatable to the 'normal' population, then we could ultimately use that form of chemoprevention to reduce the numbers of skin cancer in all people," he said......... Posted by: Andria      Read more         Source

December 30, 2009, 8:03 AM CT

The cancer 'TRAP'

Current research suggests that TNF-receptor associated protein-1 (TRAP-1) may prevent cancer cell death. The related report by Leav et al, "Cytoprotective Mitochondrial Chaperone TRAP-1 as a Novel Molecular Target in Localized and Metastatic Prostate Cancer," appears in the January 2010 issue of the American Journal of Pathology

Prostate cancer is the most common type of cancer and is the second leading cause of cancer deaths among men in the United States, following lung cancer. Prostate cancer most usually develops in men over the age of 50 and is slow-growing; however, it may metastasize to other organs, particular to the bones and lymph nodes. Metastatic phase prostate cancer claims over 30,000 deaths per year in the United States alone.

Prostate cancer cells are often resistant to cell death. Scientists led by Dr. Dario C. Altieri of the University of Massachusetts Medical School, therefore, explored the role of TRAP-1, a protein thought to regulate cell death, in prostate cancer survival. TRAP-1 was highly expressed in both high-grade human prostate cancer lesions and mouse models of prostate cancer, but not in non-malignant or normal prostate tissue. In addition, TRAP-1 overexpression in non-cancer prostate cells inhibited cell death, whereas TRAP-1-deficient prostate cancer cells had enhanced levels of cell death. Moreover, therapy with Gamitrinib, which inhibits TRAP-1, resulted in prostate cancer cell death, but not death of non-malignant prostate cells. Therefore, targeting TRAP-1 via Gamitrinib therapy appears to be a viable therapeutic strategy for patients with advanced prostate cancer......... Posted by: Andria      Read more         Source

December 18, 2009, 7:14 PM CT

Targets For Cancer And Degenerative Disease

Walter and Eliza Hall Institute researchers have identified a key step in the biological process of programmed cell death, also called apoptosis.

Apoptosis is important in human biology as it removes unwanted and sometimes dangerous cells from our bodies, protecting us against cancer development. It can also, however, lead to the development of degenerative diseases when healthy cells are errantly destroyed.

The research, led by Dr Ruth Kluck from the institute's Molecular Genetics of Cancer Division, is crucial to the development of drugs that can turn on apoptosis, thereby more effectively killing cancer cells. It could also be used in developing compounds that turn off the apoptosis that leads to degenerative disorders.

Dr Kluck has been investigating the role in apoptosis of two proteins, Bak and Bax. It is thought that understanding their role will identify targets against which drugs to regulate cell death could be designed.

"The pivotal step towards cell death is the formation of a pore in the mitochondria; mitochondria make and supply energy to the cells," Dr Kluck said. "Pore formation is the point of no return in apoptotic cell death as it allows cytochrome c, which is the protein that initiates cell death, to escape from the mitochondria. Only two proteins are known to form the pore, Bak and Bax"......... Posted by: Andria      Read more         Source

December 18, 2009, 6:30 PM CT

BRCA1 gene and infertility

A New York Medical College doctor who specializes in restoring or preserving fertility in female cancer patients has discovered a possible link between the presence of breast cancer genes and infertility.

In a paper published last week in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Kutluk Oktay, M.D., professor of obstetrics and gynecology and principal investigator on the study, concluded that mutations in the BRCA1 gene, which have been linked with early onset breast cancer, are also linked to an early loss of egg reserves. This finding may help to explain why women who carry a mutated BRCA1 gene have greater rates of infertility as well as a greater risk for breast and ovary cancer.

Dr. Oktay's team performed ovarian stimulation in 126 women with breast cancer for the purpose of fertility preservation by embryo or oocyte cryopreservation. The results showed that of the 82 women who met the inclusion criteria, 47 women (57 percent) had undergone BRCA testing, with 14 having a mutation in BRCA genes. In BRCA mutation-positive patients, the low ovarian response rate was significantly greater than for patients who did not show BRCA gene mutations, nor for women who had not been tested for the gene at all.

If fertility drugs are not as effective in stimulating egg production in the ovaries of patients who carry BRCA1 mutations, this establishes a link between infertility and the risk of getting breast or ovary cancer, Dr. Oktay concludes......... Posted by: Andria      Read more         Source

December 17, 2009, 8:13 AM CT

Heart drugs show promise for fighting colon cancer

Researchers in Sweden are reporting for the first time that a group of drugs used to treat heart failure shows promise for fighting colon cancer. The study is in ACS' Journal of Natural Products, a monthly publication. Colon cancer is the third most common cancer in the United States, with more than 150,000 cases diagnosed in the U.S. each year.

Jenny Felth, Joachim Gullbo, and his colleagues note that cardiac glycosides are a family of naturally-derived drugs used to treat congestive heart failure and abnormal heart rhythms. Researchers have suspected for some time, based on prior research, that these heart drugs may have promise for fighting a number of different types of cancer. Despite this, knowledge on effects in colon cancer or combination effects with other anti-cancer drugs is lacking. But researchers know little about their potential anticancer effects and have not tested these substances against colon cancer.

As part of a larger study to screen and identify natural substances with activity against colon cancer, the researchers picked several cardiac glycosides for further study. They tested five of these heart drugs against laboratory cultures of human colon cancer cells and observed that they were all effective, to varying degrees, at killing the cancer cells. The sensitivity, however, was rather low when in comparison to that of other cancer cell types reported previously. Several of the drugs also showed increased anticancer activity when combined with certain drugs used for standard chemotherapy. The findings suggest that these heart drugs may affect colon cancer outcome when used alone or in combination with conventional chemotherapy drugs, they say......... Posted by: Andria      Read more         Source

December 17, 2009, 8:02 AM CT

Protecting cancer patients from H1N1 influenza

Despite a 100-fold increase in H1N1 influenza cases in the Seattle area during spring 2009, an aggressive infection control program to protect immunocompromised cancer patients and thorough screening measures resulted in no corresponding increase in H1N1 cases among the total patient population at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, as per a newly released study by scientists and physicians at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and the SCCA.

The findings are published in this week's online version of the journal Blood In the paper, authors Corey Casper, M.D., Janet Englund, M.D. and Michael Boeckh, M.D., detail how patients with blood cancers are screened, diagnosed and treated for H1N1 infections and then how the SCCA's infection control program led to successful suppression of a potentially serious pandemic among clinic patients and staff.

"Our experience shows that aggressive infection control procedures can minimize transmission within the immunocompromised patient population and also reduce acquisition from sources outside the system," the authors concluded.

The SCCA's infection control program is unique in that it is devoted entirely to outpatient infection control among cancer patients, as per Casper, a researcher in the Hutchinson Center's Vaccine and Infectious Disease Institute and medical director of the SCCA's infection control program......... Posted by: Andria      Read more         Source

December 16, 2009, 11:18 PM CT

Canada Drugs: Save a Bundle on Prescription Drugs

If you are looking to buy prescription drugs in Canada, online drug stores are the best place to visit. Certain benefits of purchasing drugs online include placing an order online to receive the shipment within about two weeks. Similarly, pharmacy search engines can help users locate the best companies to deal with. These search engines can also provide drug monographs, active ingredients and proprietary name. Customers can also compare drugs from different companies in terms of their price, total cost and the amount of active ingredient. These are but a fraction of things you can do online. The biggest advantage of online purchases, however, is its cost.

Purchasing Canada Drugs Online: Advantages

The best online Canada drugs stores offer a complete range of products that can be found in bricks and mortar stores. This includes prescription and non-prescription medications, herbal medicines, skincare, baby care and other products. Online shops also allow shopping in bulk, which makes for considerable savings in terms of money and other resources. In fact, customers can place orders through phone, fax or on the internet.

These online stores also allow payment through different modes, including personal check, credit card, certified check, money orders and international money order. These stores can arrange for you to pick up your delivery or deliver to your address for a fee. Therefore, always consider the payment terms and shipping options offered by an online store before settling on one. Selecting a physical drug store near your place often does not can help you save money though it can expedite receiving your order. However, online pharmacies allow you to save money even after deducting the shipping charges. ........ Posted by: Andria      Read more         Source

December 15, 2009, 7:54 AM CT

Medical Scooters

Medical scooters, as the name suggests, are power-operated vehicles used as mobility aids for physically unfit people. These are also called electric scooters or mobility scooters and powered through batteries that are rechargeable. The seats on the two rear wheels may swivel for improved access.

Medical Scooters: Types

A mobility scooter comes in two main types, such as

Front-wheel drive (FD): Ideal for indoor use, this scooter is quite compact. It can carry an individual of not more than 250 pounds.

Rear-wheel drive (RD): This type of scooter offers smooth drive indoor and outdoors. It can easily accommodate a person weighing 350 pounds. A heavy duty rear-wheel drive medical scooter may have rider weight capacity of up to 500 pounds.

Medical Scooters: Advantages

A medical scooter offers the best alternative for a manual wheelchair that requires more stamina and flexibility of arms/shoulders. It allows safe driving even during downhill movements as it does not have tips off. A medical scooter is particularly beneficial for people who are suffering from coronary or lung issues, obesity, arthritis and other whole-body disabling conditions. Moreover, these scooters do not look like wheelchairs, which most people consider as a clear sign of old age. ........ Posted by: Andria      Read more         Source

December 1, 2009, 8:31 AM CT

Pancreatic tumors are marked for immunotherapy

Pancreatic tumors can be identified by a readily detectable marker that shows promise as a basis for immune treatment against the disease, as per research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

The marker is mesothelin, a protein normally found on mesothelial cells that line the body cavities. Several types of cancer cells make large amounts of mesothelin, which then circulates in the blood.

Mesothelin levels in the blood were shown in earlier studies to predict survival in patients with ovary cancer and mesothelioma (a cancer of mesothelial cells). The scientists wanted to know if elevated blood levels of mesothelin could be used as a biological indicator for pancreatic disease. The study, published this month in Clinical Cancer Research, also examined whether the protein could be useful for immune-based cancer therapys.

"All pancreatic tumor specimens we tested displayed mesothelin on them, and the protein could be detected in the blood of 99 percent of our study patients with pancreas cancer," says co-senior author Peter Goedegebuure, Ph.D., research associate professor of surgery. "Other studies suggest that mesothelin plays an essential role in the development and growth of cancer, making it an ideal target for treatment"......... Posted by: Andria      Read more         Source

November 24, 2009, 11:19 AM CT

Higher survival among German children with cancer

Internationally viewed, medical care in Gera number of for children with cancer is very good as far as survival is concerned. However, other aspects, such as quality of life, pain, and long-term consequences of the disease are still insufficiently investigated in studies. This is the conclusion of the Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) in its final report published on 16 October 2009.



Establish required quality standards

Every year in Gera number of approximately 1800 children under 15 years of age are diagnosed with cancer. In order to provide them with the best possible care, the Federal Joint Committee (G-BA) drew up a quality assurance agreement in 2007.

(Quality Assurance Agreement on Paediatric Oncology). Its aim is to ensure that hospitals in Gera number of follow required standards in providing care to children and adolescents with cancer.

In order to ensure quality of care in the long term, the G-BA also commissioned IQWiG to present a scientific assessment of both the current status of the existing infrastructure und the quality of care previous to the agreement. The Committee wishes to establish whether and how the already existing quality requirements need to be adapted.

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